The Houston Texans were the first team to fire their coach in the 2020 NFL season, cutting loose Bill O’Brien after an 0-4 start and turning to Romeo Crennel to finish out the campaign on an interim basis. O’Brien ended his career with the Texans with a 52-48 record, four AFC South division titles and a 2-4 playoff mark.
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Whoever lands the Texans job in the offseason will inherit one of the NFL’s best young quarterbacks in Deshaun Watson, who led the league in passing yards in 2020 and should only improve on those numbers with a better structure around him. While Houston doesn’t have a first-round draft pick this year, there are some players such as J.J Watt, Brandin Cooks and David Johnson who will be appealing to the new coach.
Sportsbook has released Houston Texans head coach odds, with Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy the +200 favorite to land the job. Rounding out the top five choices on the oddsboard are Matt Eberflus (+300), Brian Daboll (+500), Brian Schottenheimer (+500) and Don Martindale (+750).
Who are Betting Favorites to Become Houston Texans’ Next Head Coach?
| Option | Odds |
|---|---|
| Eric Bieniemy | +200 |
| Matt Eberflus | +300 |
| Brian Daboll | +500 |
| Brian Schottenheimer | +500 |
| Don Martindale | +750 |
| Joe Brady | +800 |
| Josh McDaniels | +800 |
| Robert Saleh | +1000 |
| Lincoln Riley | +1200 |
| Marvin Lewis | +1200 |
| Matt Campbell | +1200 |
| Byron Leftwich | +1400 |
| Dabo Swinney | +1400 |
| Jim Harbaugh | +1400 |
| Romeo Crennel | +1400 |
| Greg Roman | +1600 |
Odds as of January 6 at Sportsbook
Eric Bieniemy Has Best Odds to Become Texans’ Next Head Coach
There is no question in my mind that if Bieniemy decides he wants to be a head coach of a team next season, he will choose one with a promising quarterback and some offensive weapons. The Texans are one of six teams without a coach and outside of the New York Jets might have the biggest holes to fill among those clubs. Bieniemy is the +200 favorite to land the Houston job, representing implied odds of 33.33 percent according to our Sports Betting Calculator.
The team has to decide what it wants to do with wideout Will Fuller, who was suspended for the last half of the season under the league’s PED policy. They do have running back David Johnson and receiver Brandin Cooks under contract to support Watson.
Best Value Pick: Brian Schottenheimer
Brian Schottenheimer, the son of former NFL coach Marty Schottenheimer, is no stranger to the coaching game. The current offensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks has been a coach for seven different teams and has had plenty of success over the last few years in Seattle.
There is no question the league has become more offense-centric and with a young star quarterback in Deshaun Watson, it would make sense for management to look at offensive-minded coaches.
Long-Shot Pick: Don Martindale
Don Martindale has done an incredible job as the Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator. Martindale has +750 odds to become the next Texans head coach and if he were hired, it just might be enough to get J.J. Watt going after the star defensive end was rumored all season long to want out of Houston.
Martindale would offer a good bridge from the O’Brien era and a more offensive-minded coach. In an AFC South division that includes Derrick Henry and likely Trevor Lawrence next year, perhaps going with a defensive choice isn’t a bad idea.
